JP7600710B2 - Cutting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cutting device capable of cutting an object.

There is a known cutting device that cuts a pattern from a sheet-like object by moving the sheet-like object and a cutting blade relative to each other in accordance with cutting data (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cutting device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a memory device that individually stores various setting conditions according to the type of object, which indicates the hardness and thickness, etc., reads out the setting conditions according to the type of object from the memory device, and cuts the object based on the read setting conditions.

JP 2005-246562 A

In conventional cutting devices, the setting conditions that are set based on the type stored in the storage device may not correspond to the actual object to be cut. In this case, the cutting device cannot cut the object appropriately.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cutting device that can cut an object under conditions suitable for the object.

The cutting device according to the present invention comprises a mounting member on which an object to be cut can be placed, a mounting part on which a cutting blade can be attached, a first movement mechanism for relatively moving the object to be cut placed on the mounting member and the mounting part in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, a second movement mechanism for moving the mounting part in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, which moves the mounting part closer to the mounting part and a fourth direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, which moves the mounting part away from the mounting part, a pressure application mechanism for applying pressure in the third direction to the mounting part in response to the movement of the mounting part by the second movement mechanism, and a control part capable of controlling the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism, and the control part controls the first movement mechanism to move the mounting part to a facing position where the cutting blade faces the object to be cut and is separated from the object to be cut in the fourth direction, by controlling the first movement mechanism, a second movement means for moving the mounting part from the facing position in the third direction by controlling the second movement mechanism, and a pressure application mechanism for applying pressure in the third direction to the mounting part in response to the movement of the mounting part by the second movement mechanism, and a control part capable of controlling the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism. In the process of the mounting part moving in the third direction, a first detection means detects a pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure in the third direction applied to the mounting part by the pressure application mechanism and the amount of movement of the mounting part in the third direction; a first determination means determines a cutting pressure corresponding value, which is the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the cutting pressure applied to the mounting part by the pressure application mechanism when the cutting blade cuts the workpiece based on the pressure corresponding value and the amount of movement detected by the first detection means after the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece; an acquisition means acquires cutting data for cutting a pattern from the workpiece; and a cutting means that controls the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism according to the cutting data acquired by the acquisition means, applies the cutting pressure corresponding to the cutting pressure corresponding value determined by the first determination means to the mounting part by the pressure application mechanism, and cuts the workpiece with the cutting blade attached to the mounting part.

According to the present invention, the cutting device determines the cutting pressure based on the pressure applied to the mounting part after the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece and the amount of movement of the mounting part. Therefore, the cutting device can apply a cutting pressure to the mounting part that is appropriate for the workpiece, so that the workpiece can be appropriately cut by the cutting blade attached to the mounting part.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device 1. 2 is a plan view of the mounting portion 32 and the second moving mechanism 33. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mounting portion 32 and the second moving mechanism 33 taken along line AA in FIG. 2. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a housing tip portion 41 of the cartridge 4. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the cutting device 1. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure correspondence value and the amount of movement and the difference when the workpiece 20 is moved downward. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a housing tip portion 41 of the cartridge 4, a platen 3, and an object to be cut 20. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a main process. 10 is a flowchart of the main process, which is a continuation of FIG. 8. 10 is a flowchart of the main process, which is a continuation of FIG. 9 . 13 is a flowchart of an initialization process. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a housing tip portion 41 of the cartridge 4 and a platen 3. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure correspondence value and the amount of movement during the initialization process. 13 is a flowchart of a main process in a modified example.

A concrete embodiment of the cutting device 1 according to the present invention will be described in order with reference to the drawings. The drawings referred to are used to explain the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the device described is not intended to be limiting but is merely an explanatory example. The lower left, upper right, lower right, upper left, upper, and lower sides of FIG. 1 correspond to the front, rear, right, left, upper, and lower sides of the cutting device 1, respectively.

<Overview of cutting device 1>
The outline of the cutting device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The cutting device 1 is used with a cartridge 4 having a cutting blade Cs attached, and can cut the object 20 using the cutting blade Cs. In this embodiment, an adhesive sheet in which a sheet material 20A and a release paper 20B (see FIG. 7) are laminated is used as the object 20. An adhesive is applied to one side of the sheet material 20A. The release paper 20B is attached to one side of the sheet material 20A by the adhesive, and covers the entire one side of the sheet material 20A. The release paper 20B is harder than the sheet material 20A. For example, a user peels the sheet material 20A of the object 20 cut by the cutting device 1 from the release paper 20B, and uses the sheet material 20A by attaching it to an object to be cut by the adhesive. For this reason, when cutting the object 20, it is desirable for the cutting device 1 to cut only the sheet material 20A without cutting the release paper 20B (half cut).

As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting device 1 includes a main body cover 9, a platen 3, a head 5, a sheet supply unit 7, a roll holding unit 300, a conveying mechanism 8A, a first moving mechanism 8B, a second moving mechanism 33 (see FIG. 2), a control unit 71 (see FIG. 5), and the like. The main body cover 9 is provided with an opening 91, a cover 92, and an operation unit 50. The opening 91 is an opening provided in the front portion of the main body cover 9. The cover 92 is rotatably supported by the main body cover 9. In FIG. 1, the cover 92 is open and the opening 91 is open. Below, various components will be described assuming that the cover 92 is open.

The operation unit 50 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) 51, a plurality of operation switches 52, and a touch panel 53. Images including various items such as commands, illustrations, setting values, and messages are displayed on the LCD 51. The touch panel 53 is provided on the surface of the LCD 51. The user performs a pressing operation on the touch panel 53 using either a finger or a stylus pen (hereinafter, this operation is referred to as "panel operation"). The cutting device 1 recognizes which item has been selected based on the pressing position detected by the touch panel 53. The user can use the operation switches 52 and the touch panel 53 to select a pattern displayed on the LCD 51, set various parameters, and perform input operations.

The sheet supply unit 7 includes a main body 101, a cutting unit 102, and a fixing unit 103. The main body 101 has a rectangular plate shape and is disposed above the cover 92. A guide 101A is provided at the left end of the main body 101. The guide 101A protrudes upward from the top surface of the main body 101. The workpiece 20 (described later) is positioned in the left-right direction by abutting against the guide 101A from the right side. The cutting unit 102 is detachably provided at the top of the main body 101. The cutting unit 102 includes a cutter plate 104 and a cutter 105. The cutter plate 104 extends linearly in the left-right direction. The cutter 105 is slidable along the cutter plate 104. The fixing unit 103 fixes the main body 101 to the upper side of the cover 92.

The roll holding unit 300 has a main body 301 and a pair of sheet holding plates 302. The main body 301 has a rectangular plate shape and is fixed to the front end of the cover 92. The pair of sheet holding plates 302 are provided on the upper surface and both left and right ends of the main body 301. The pair of sheet holding plates 302 rotatably hold both left and right ends of the roll 10 on which the workpiece 20 is wound. The workpiece 20 unwound from the roll 10 extends toward the rear sheet supply unit 7 and passes under the cutter plate 104 of the cutting unit 102. For example, the user can cut the workpiece 20 in the width direction by moving the cutter 105 from the right end to the left along the cutter plate 104.

The transport mechanism 8A includes a driven roller 204 and a drive roller (not shown). The driven roller 204 extends in the left-right direction and is rotatably supported within the body cover 9. The drive roller faces downward relative to the driven roller 204 and rotates in response to the drive of the Y-axis motor 15 (see FIG. 5). The transport mechanism 8A clamps the workpiece 20 extending rearward from the roll holding unit 300 via the sheet supply unit 7 between the driven roller 204 and the drive roller. In this state, the transport mechanism 8A can transport the workpiece 20 in the front-rear direction (also called the "Y direction" or "sub-scanning direction") by rotating the drive roller.

The platen 3 is provided inside the main body cover 9 and behind the drive roller. The platen 3 is a plate-shaped member extending in the left-right direction. The left-right length of the platen 3 is greater than the width of the workpiece 20. The workpiece 20 transported rearward by the transport mechanism 8A is placed on the upper surface of the platen 3 except for both left-right ends. The release paper 20B (see FIG. 7) of the workpiece 20 is placed below the sheet material 20A and contacts the upper surface of the platen 3 from above (see FIG. 7). Both left-right ends of the platen 3 are exposed even when the workpiece 20 is placed on it.

The head 5 includes a carriage 19, a mounting section 32, a detector 61 (see FIG. 3), and a second moving mechanism 33 (see FIG. 2). The mounting section 32 is capable of mounting a cartridge 4. The cartridge 4 is fixed to the mounting section 32 with the cutting blade Cs positioned below. The carriage 19 is provided at the rear end of the mounting section 32.

The head 5 can be moved in the left-right direction (also called the "X direction" or "main scanning direction") by the first moving mechanism 8B. The first moving mechanism 8B includes a guide rail 21, an X-axis motor 25 (see FIG. 5), and the like. The guide rail 21 is fixed inside the body cover 9 and extends in the left-right direction. The carriage 19 is supported by the guide rail 21 so as to be movable in the X direction along the guide rail 21. The rotational motion of the X-axis motor 25 is converted into motion in the X direction and transmitted to the carriage 19. When the X-axis motor 25 is driven in the forward or reverse direction, the carriage 19 is moved to the left or right. That is, the first moving mechanism 8B moves the cartridge 4 mounted on the mounting portion 32 of the head 5 in the left-right direction (also called the "main scanning direction") relative to the workpiece 20 placed on the platen 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second movement mechanism 33 moves the mounting part 32 in a direction (downward) that brings the mounting part 32 closer to the platen 3 and in a direction (upward) that moves the mounting part 32 away from the platen 3. As a result, the second movement mechanism 33 moves the cartridge 4 mounted in the mounting part 32 in the vertical direction. The second movement mechanism 33 includes a Z-axis motor 34 (see FIG. 5) and a transmission member. The second movement mechanism 33 reduces the rotational motion of the Z-axis motor 34 by a transmission member connected to the output shaft of the Z-axis motor 34, converts it into vertical motion, and transmits it to the mounting part 32, thereby driving the mounting part 32 and the cartridge 4 in the vertical direction (also referred to as the "Z direction").

2 and 3, the second moving mechanism 33 has gears 35, 36, a shaft 37, a plate portion 48, a pinion 38, and a rack 39 as transmission members. The gear 35 is fixed to the front end of the output shaft 40 of the Z-axis motor 34. The gear 35 meshes with the gear 36. The diameter of the gear 35 is smaller than the diameter of the gear 36. The gear 36 has a cylindrical shaft portion 46 extending in the front-rear direction. The shaft portion 46 of the gear 36 is inserted into the shaft 37. The output shaft 40 of the Z-axis motor 34 and the shaft 37 extend in the front-rear direction. The plate portion 48 is disk-shaped and slightly smaller in diameter than the gear 36. The front end of the plate portion 48 is connected to the rear end of the pinion 38. The plate portion 48 is a member integral with the pinion 38. The plate portion 48 is a member separate from the gear 36. The plate portion 48 and the pinion 38 can rotate independently of the rotation of the gear 36. The pinion 38 and the plate portion 48 are inserted into the shaft 37 in front of the gear 36. The pinion 38 and the plate portion 48 can rotate relatively to the shaft 37. The diameter of the pinion 38 is smaller than the diameters of the gears 35 and 36. The rack 39 extends in the vertical direction and has gear teeth on its right surface that mesh with the pinion 38. The rack 39 is fixed to the rear surface of the mounting portion 32.

The second movement mechanism 33 further includes a pressure application mechanism 31. The pressure application mechanism 31 is a torsion spring inserted into the shaft portion 46 of the gear 36. The pressure application mechanism 31 is capable of applying downward pressure to the mounting portion 32. One end of the pressure application mechanism 31 is fixed to the shaft portion 46, and the other end is fixed to the plate portion 48. The pressure application mechanism 31 transmits the rotation of the gear 36 to the plate portion 48. The pressure application mechanism 31 applies downward pressure to the mounting portion 32 due to the elastic force generated when the torsion spring is compressed in response to the rotation of the gear 36. The downward pressure applied to the mounting portion 32 changes in response to the change in the amount of compression of the torsion spring.

The detector 61 is a position sensor capable of outputting the vertical position of the mounting unit 32. The detector 61 is disposed to the left rear of the mounting unit 32. The detector 61 is capable of identifying the vertical position of the mounting unit 32 and outputting a signal indicating the identified position.

<Overview of Cartridge 4>
An overview of the cartridge 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The upper, lower, left, and right sides of Fig. 4 correspond to the upper, lower, left, and right sides of the cartridge 4, respectively. The cartridge 4 has a cylindrical housing 60 (see Fig. 1). A holder 42, a spring 43, a cutting blade Cs, and a bearing 44 are provided at the tip of the housing 60 (hereinafter referred to as the housing tip 41).

The holder 42 is cylindrical and extends in the vertical direction. The holder 42 is held so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the housing tip 41. A spring 43 is provided at the upper end of the holder 42. The spring 43 biases the holder 42 downward. The lower end of the holder 42 protrudes downward from the housing tip 41. The cutting blade Cs has a base C1 and a cutting edge C2 connected to the lower end of the base C1. The base C1 has a cylindrical shape and is fixed to the housing tip 41 via a bearing 44. The bearing 44 supports the cutting blade Cs so that it can rotate around a rotation axis R extending in the vertical direction. The cutting blade Cs rotates around the rotation axis R in response to the action of an external force. The cutting edge C2 has a plate shape, and the tip is inclined relative to the horizontal direction. At least a part of the cutting edge C2 is contained within the holder 42.

When the cartridge 4 cuts the workpiece 20, the cartridge 4 is pressed downward against the workpiece 20, causing the holder 42 to move upward against the biasing force of the spring 43. The tip of the cutting edge C2 of the cutting blade Cs (referred to as the "cutting edge of the cutting blade Cs") is exposed from the holder 42 (see FIG. 7, described below). This enables the cartridge 4 to cut the workpiece 20 with the exposed cutting edge of the cutting blade Cs.

<Electrical configuration of cutting device 1>
The electrical configuration of the cutting device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The cutting device 1 includes a control unit 71, a ROM 72, a RAM 73, and an input/output (I/O) interface 75. The control unit 71 is electrically connected to the ROM 72, the RAM 73, and the I/O interface 75. The control unit 71 is a CPU that performs main control of the cutting device 1 together with the ROM 72 and the RAM 73. The ROM 72 stores various programs and the like for operating the cutting device 1. The RAM 73 temporarily stores the results of calculations performed by the control unit 71.

The I/O interface 75 is further connected to a flash memory 74, an LCD 51, an operation switch 52, a touch panel 53, a detector 61, and drive circuits 77 to 79. The flash memory 74 is a non-volatile memory element that stores various parameters, cutting data, and the like. The cutting data indicates the control conditions of the conveying mechanism 8A, the first moving mechanism 8B, and the second moving mechanism 33 for cutting the workpiece 20 with the cutting blade Cs (see FIG. 1) to cut out the desired pattern. The cutting data includes start and end coordinates for controlling the conveying mechanism 8A, the first moving mechanism 8B, and the second moving mechanism 33 for each line segment included in the pattern. The origin of the coordinate system is a point at the left rear of the cuttable area. The left-right direction is set to the X direction, and the front-back direction is set to the Y direction. The cutting data is stored in the flash memory 74 for each pattern to be cut.

The LCD 51 can notify various instructions. The detector 61 outputs a signal indicating the vertical position of the mounting unit 32. The Y-axis motor 15, the X-axis motor 25, and the Z-axis motor 34 are each a pulse motor. The drive circuits 77 to 79 output pulses to the Y-axis motor 15, the X-axis motor 25, and the Z-axis motor 34, respectively. The control unit 71 drives the Y-axis motor 15, the X-axis motor 25, and the Z-axis motor 34, etc. via the drive circuits 77 to 79, and controls the transport mechanism 8A, the first movement mechanism 8B, and the second movement mechanism 33. In this way, the control unit 71 moves the mounting unit 32 and the workpiece 20 placed on the platen 3 relative to each other.

<Relationship between pressure applied to mounting portion 32 (pressure corresponding value) and amount of movement>
The relationship between the pressure applied to the mounting part 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 in the process in which the cutting device 1 cuts the workpiece 20 using the cutting blade Cs and the amount of movement of the mounting part 32 will be described. Note that the following description is based on the premise that the workpiece 20 is placed on the platen 3 and the cartridge 4 is mounted in the mounting part 32. Hereinafter, the vertical position of the mounting part 32 moved most upward by the second movement mechanism 33 will be referred to as the upper limit position.

The control unit 71 rotates the Z-axis motor 34 of the second movement mechanism 33 to move the mounting unit 32 downward from the upper limit position. Here, there is a correlation between the number of pulses output from the drive circuit 79 and input to the Z-axis motor 34 and the downward pressure applied to the mounting unit 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 (see FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the cumulative number of pulses input to the Z-axis motor 34 is used as a pressure correspondence value corresponding to the pressure applied to the mounting unit 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31. In other words, the cumulative number of pulses input to the Z-axis motor 34 from a state in which the mounting unit 32 is positioned at the upper limit position is used as the pressure correspondence value.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, when a pulse is input to the Z-axis motor 34, the output shaft 40 and gears 35, 36 rotate, and the pressure application mechanism 31 transmits the rotation of the gear 36 to the plate portion 48. The control unit 71 counts the number of pulses input to the Z-axis motor 34 when the mounting portion 32 is moved downward to detect a pressure correspondence value. At the same time, the control unit 71 identifies the vertical position of the mounting portion 32 based on the signal output from the detector 61, and detects the amount of movement from the upper limit position. The control unit 71 periodically repeats the detection of the pressure correspondence value and the amount of movement, and stores the detected pressure correspondence value and amount of movement in RAM 73 in association with each other. Hereinafter, this process will be referred to as the "detection process".

Figure 6 shows the relationship between the pressure correspondence value (horizontal axis) and the movement amount (vertical axis) detected by periodically and repeatedly executing the detection process. It is assumed that the mounting part 32 is moved downward with the cutting blade Cs facing upward relative to the workpiece 20. For convenience, the unit of the movement amount is called unit. The detection process executed the i-th time (i is an integer equal to or greater than 1) is called the "i-th detection process". The pressure correspondence value detected by the i-th detection process is denoted as "v(i)". The movement amount detected by the i-th detection process is denoted as "m(i)". The pressure applied to the mounting part 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 by controlling the second movement mechanism 33 based on the pressure correspondence value v(i) is denoted as "p(i)".

As shown in FIG. 7(a), when the holder 42 of the cartridge 4 is not in contact with the workpiece 20, no upward pressure is applied to the mounting part 32 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) to which the cartridge 4 is attached. Therefore, when the output shaft 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the Z-axis motor 34 rotates, the pressure application mechanism 31 (see FIG. 2) transmits the rotation of the gear 36 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) to the plate part 48 and the pinion 38 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The plate part 48 and the pinion 38 rotate the same amount as the rotation of the gear 36. As a result, the mounting part 32 moves downward.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), during the downward movement of the mounting part 32 until the holder 42 comes into contact with the workpiece 20 (see FIG. 7(a)), the amount of movement increases as the pressure response value increases, as shown by the plot in region T11. When the holder 42 of the cartridge 4 comes into contact with the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 (see FIG. 7(b)) during the downward movement of the mounting part 32, an upward pressure acts on the mounting part 32. As pulses are continuously input to the Z-axis motor 34, the output shaft 40 rotates further. The gear 36 rotates relative to the plate part 48 and the pinion 38, and the torsion of the pressure application mechanism 31 increases. As the rotation of the gear 36 is transmitted to the plate part 48, the downward pressure acting on the mounting part 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 gradually increases. However, the plate portion 48 and the pinion 38 do not rotate until the downward pressure acting on the mounting portion 32 exceeds the upward pressure applied to the mounting portion 32. In this case, the mounting portion 32 does not move downward. Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T12, even if the pressure response value increases, the amount of movement remains at a constant level (approximately 600 units).

When pulses are continuously input to the Z-axis motor 34 and the output shaft 40 further rotates, the gear 36 rotates relative to the plate portion 48 and the pinion 38, and the torsion of the pressure application mechanism 31 becomes even larger. The downward pressure acting on the mounting portion 32 from the pressure application mechanism 31 via the plate portion 48 and the pinion 38 becomes even larger. When the downward pressure acting on the mounting portion 32 from the pressure application mechanism 31 exceeds the upward pressure applied to the mounting portion 32, the pinion 38 rotates and the mounting portion 32 resumes its downward movement (see Figures 7(b) to 7(c)). Note that since the holder 42 is in contact with the sheet material 20A, the downward movement of the holder 42 is suppressed, so the cutting blade Cs moves downward relative to the holder 42, and the spring 43 contracts. The downward pressure applied to the mounting part 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 moves the mounting part 32 downward against the upward pressure corresponding to the elastic force of the spring 43. Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T13, the amount of movement increases as the pressure response value increases.

When the cutting blade Cs of the cartridge 4 comes into contact with the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 as the mounting portion 32 moves further downward (see FIG. 7(c)), an upward pressure acts on the cutting blade Cs (mounting portion 32). As pulses are continuously input to the Z-axis motor 34, the output shaft 40 rotates further. The gear 36 rotates relative to the plate portion 48 and the pinion 38, and the torsion of the pressure application mechanism 31 increases. In this state, the mounting portion 32 continues to move downward, and the cutting edge of the cutting blade Cs enters the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(d)). Since the mounting portion 32 moves downward while receiving an upward pressure, the downward movement speed of the mounting portion 32 becomes slower than before the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(b)). Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T14, the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount is gentler than the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount in region T13.

The cutting edge of the cutting blade Cs of the cartridge 4 passes through the sheet material 20A and comes into contact with the release paper 20B (see FIG. 7(e)). Here, the release paper 20B is harder than the sheet material 20A. For this reason, similar to when the cutting edge of the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(c)), the mounting portion 32 becomes less likely to move downward, and the upward pressure acting on the mounting portion 32 increases. Therefore, in the process in which the cutting blade Cs passes through the release paper 20B (see FIG. 7(f)), as shown by the plot in region T15, the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount becomes even more gradual than the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount in region T14.

<Main processing>
The main process executed by the control unit 71 of the cutting device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 11. In the main process, first, a pressure (referred to as "cutting pressure") to be applied to the mounting unit 32 in order to cut (half-cut) only the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 without cutting the release paper 20B is determined. In other words, a pressure corresponding value (hereinafter referred to as "cutting pressure corresponding value") for applying cutting pressure to the mounting unit 32 by the pressure applying mechanism 31 is determined (S11 to S25 (see Figure 8), S41 to S61 (see Figure 9), S81 to S91 (see Figure 10), S101 to S113 (see Figure 11)). After that, the second moving mechanism 33 is controlled based on the determined cutting pressure corresponding value, and the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 is cut by the cutting blade Cs (S63, S65 (see Figure 9)).

The main process is started by the control unit 71 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 72 when an instruction to specify a pattern and start the cutting operation is input by operating the panel. As shown in FIG. 1, before the panel operation, the roll 10 is set in the roll holding unit 300, and the workpiece 20 is unwound from the roll 10. The unwound workpiece 20 passes under the cutter plate 104 of the sheet supply unit 7, and its leading end is placed on the platen 3. The cartridge 4 is also mounted in the mounting unit 32. The mounting unit 32 is positioned at the upper limit position.

When the main process is started, the control unit 71 first executes an initialization process (see FIG. 11) to detect the vertical position of the mounting unit 32 when the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3 (referred to as the "reference position") (S11).

The initialization process will be described with reference to FIG. 11. The control unit 71 controls the first moving mechanism 8B to move the mounting unit 32 to the rightmost end of the movable range in the left-right direction (S101). As a result, the mounting unit 32 is positioned above the right end of the platen 3, which is exposed without the workpiece 20 placed on it. At this time, the cutting blade Cs does not face the workpiece 20 in the vertical direction, but faces the platen 3. Next, the control unit 71 controls the second moving mechanism 33 to start moving the mounting unit 32 downward from its upper limit position (S103). At the same time, the control unit 71 starts the detection process. As a result, the detection of the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount is periodically repeated, and the detected pressure correspondence value and movement amount are stored in the RAM 73.

12(a)-12(b), from when the mounting section 32 starts to move downward from the upper limit position until the holder 42 of the cartridge 4 comes into contact with the platen 3, no upward pressure is applied to the mounting section 32. Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T21 of FIG. 13, the amount of movement increases with an increase in the pressure correspondence value. As shown in FIG. 12(b), when the holder 42 comes into contact with the platen 3, an upward pressure acts on the mounting section 32, and the downward movement of the mounting section 32 stops. Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T22 of FIG. 13, even if the pressure correspondence value increases, the amount of movement remains at a constant level (approximately 685 units). When the control section 71 detects the relationship between the pressure correspondence value and the amount of movement shown in region T22, it determines that the holder 42 has come into contact with the platen 3 (S105), as shown in FIG. 11. The control unit 71 identifies the pressure correspondence value detected by the detection process at the time when the holder 42 contacts the platen 3 as a first pressure correspondence value (see FIG. 13) and stores it in the RAM 73 (S105).

When the downward pressure acting on the mounting part 32 from the pressure application mechanism 31 exceeds the upward pressure applied to the mounting part 32 due to the continuous input of pulses to the Z-axis motor 34, the mounting part 32 resumes its downward movement as shown in Figures 12(b) to 12(c). In this case, the amount of movement increases with an increase in the pressure response value, as shown by the plot in region T23 in Figure 13.

As shown in FIG. 12(c), when the mounting portion 32 moves further downward and the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the platen 3, the downward movement of the mounting portion 32 stops. Therefore, as shown by the plot in region T24 in FIG. 13, even if the pressure correspondence value increases, the movement amount remains at a constant level (approximately 845 units). When the control unit 71 detects the relationship between the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount shown in region T24, it determines that the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the platen 3 (S107), as shown in FIG. 11. The control unit 71 identifies the pressure correspondence value detected by the detection process at the time when the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the platen 3 as a second pressure correspondence value (see FIG. 13) and stores it in the RAM 73 (S107).

The control unit 71 detects the position that is moved downward from the upper limit position by the amount of movement detected by the detection process at the time when the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3 as the vertical position of the mounting unit 32 at the time when the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3 (referred to as the "reference position") (S109). The control unit 71 stores the detected reference position in the RAM 73.

The control unit 71 reads and acquires from the RAM 73 the first pressure correspondence value (see FIG. 13) identified by the process of S105, i.e., the pressure correspondence value detected by the detection process when the holder 42 contacts the platen 3. The control unit 71 reads and acquires from the RAM 73 the second pressure correspondence value (see FIG. 13) identified by the process of S107, i.e., the pressure correspondence value detected by the detection process when the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3. The control unit 71 calculates a value obtained by subtracting the first pressure correspondence value from the second pressure correspondence value (referred to as an "estimated correspondence value"; see FIG. 13) as an estimate of the amount of change in the pressure correspondence value from when the holder 42 contacts the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(b)) to when the cutting blade Cs contacts the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(c)). The control unit 71 stores the calculated estimated correspondence value in the RAM 73 (S111).

When the control unit 71 detects the relationship between the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount shown in area T24, it controls the second movement mechanism 33 to stop the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 that was started by the processing of S101. At the same time, the control unit 71 stops the detection processing. The control unit 71 controls the second movement mechanism 33 to move the mounting unit 32 upward toward the upper limit position (S113). After the mounting unit 32 has moved to the upper limit position, the control unit 71 controls the second movement mechanism 33 to stop the movement of the mounting unit 32. The control unit 71 ends the initialization processing and returns the processing to the main processing (see FIG. 8).

As shown in FIG. 8, after the initialization process (see S11) is completed, the control unit 71 controls the first movement mechanism 8B to move the mounting unit 32 to the left. After the mounting unit 32 moves to a position where the cutting blade Cs faces the workpiece 20 placed on the platen 3 in the vertical direction, the control unit 71 controls the first movement mechanism 8B to stop the movement of the mounting unit 32 (S13). Note that the mounting unit 32 remains positioned at the upper limit position in the vertical direction. The cutting blade Cs attached to the mounting unit 32 moves upward away from the workpiece 20. Hereinafter, the position of the mounting unit 32 after the process in S13 will be referred to as the "facing position."

The control unit 71 controls the second movement mechanism 33 to start moving downward from the opposing position of the mounting unit 32 (S15). At the same time, the control unit 71 starts a detection process. This causes the detection of the pressure correspondence value and the amount of movement to be periodically repeated, and the detected pressure correspondence value and amount of movement are stored in the RAM 73 (S17).

The control unit 71 judges whether the holder 42 of the cartridge 4 has come into contact with the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20. Note that from when the mounting unit 32 starts to move downward from the facing position until the holder 42 of the cartridge 4 comes into contact with the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(a)), the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount relative to the pressure response value remains constant (region T11, see FIG. 6). On the other hand, after the holder 42 comes into contact with the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(b)), the movement amount remains constant even if the pressure response value increases (region T12, see FIG. 6). For this reason, when the control unit 71 detects that the relationship between the pressure response value and the movement amount shown in regions T11 and T12, that is, the increase in the movement amount has become minimal or has disappeared even if the pressure response value increases, it judges that the holder 42 has come into contact with the sheet material 20A (S19).

The control unit 71 reads out from the RAM 73 the estimated corresponding value (see FIG. 13) calculated by the process of S111 (see FIG. 11) and obtains it. Each time the pressure corresponding value and the amount of movement are detected by the detection process, the control unit 71 determines whether the amount of change in the pressure corresponding value from the time when the holder 42 contacted the sheet material 20A matches the estimated corresponding value. If the amount of change in the pressure corresponding value from the time when the holder 42 contacted the sheet material 20A matches the estimated corresponding value, the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the sheet material 20A (S21).

The control unit 71 reads and acquires from the RAM 73 the amount of movement detected by the detection process at the time when it is determined that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the sheet material 20A. The control unit 71 identifies a position that is separated downward from the upper limit position by the acquired amount of movement as the vertical position of the mounting unit 32 at the time when the cutting blade Cs has contacted the sheet material 20A (referred to as the "reference position"; see FIG. 7(c)). Furthermore, the control unit 71 reads and acquires from the RAM 73 the reference position detected by the process of S109 (see FIG. 11), i.e., the vertical position of the mounting unit 32 at the time when the cutting blade Cs has contacted the platen 3 (see FIG. 12(c)). The control unit 71 detects the difference between the reference position and the reference position as the thickness of the workpiece 20 (S23).

The control unit 71 determines the difference threshold value according to the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 (S25). The difference threshold value is a threshold value used to detect when the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B (S45, see FIG. 9), and will be described in detail later. The difference threshold value is determined to be a larger value as the detected thickness of the workpiece 20 increases.

The method of determining the difference threshold according to the thickness of the workpiece 20 is not particularly limited, but may be determined, for example, by the following method. For example, the control unit 71 may store in advance in the flash memory 74 a correspondence table that associates multiple ranges of the thickness of the workpiece 20 with the difference threshold corresponding to each range. The control unit 71 may determine the difference threshold associated with the range that includes the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 based on the correspondence table. In addition, for example, the control unit 71 may store in advance in the flash memory 74 a calculation formula that can calculate the difference threshold by substituting the thickness of the workpiece 20. The control unit 71 may determine the difference threshold by substituting the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 into the calculation formula. The control unit 71 stores the determined difference threshold in the RAM 73.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 71 executes the prediction process shown below to calculate the predicted movement amount (S41). Here, in the process of S21 (see FIG. 8), it is determined that the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A based on the movement amount m(k) detected by the kth detection process. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the pressure correspondence value v(k) and the movement amount m(k) detected by the kth detection process are the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected at the time when the cutting blade Cs came into contact with the sheet material 20A or after it came into contact with the sheet material 20A. On the other hand, the pressure correspondence value v(k-2) and the movement amount m(k-2) detected by the k-2th detection process executed two times before the kth detection process, and the pressure correspondence value v(k-1) and the movement amount m(k-1) detected by the k-1th detection process executed one time before the kth detection process are the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected before the cutting blade Cs came into contact with the sheet material 20A, respectively. In addition, in the process in which the mounting portion 32 moves downward in regions T13 and T14, the pressure applied to the mounting portion 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31 gradually increases. Therefore, the pressure p(k-1) corresponding to the pressure correspondence value v(k-1) is greater than the pressure p(k-2) corresponding to the pressure correspondence value v(k-2). Also, the pressure p(k) corresponding to the pressure correspondence value v(k) is greater than the pressure p(k-1).

The control unit 71 calculates a predicted value of the movement amount of the mounting unit 32 when a pressure p(k) corresponding to the pressure corresponding value v(k) is applied by the pressure application mechanism 31 based on the change amount of the pressure corresponding value from the pressure corresponding value v(k-2) to the pressure corresponding value v(k-1) and the change amount of the movement amount from the movement amount m(k-2) to the movement amount m(k-1) (S41). The process of calculating the predicted movement amount is called the "prediction process". Thereafter, the control unit 71 executes the prediction process each time the detection process is executed from the k+1th time onwards (S41). The prediction process executed in response to the detection of the pressure corresponding value v(i) and the movement amount m(i) by the i-th detection process is called the "i-th prediction process". The predicted movement amount calculated by the i-th prediction process is denoted as "e(i)".

A method for calculating the predicted movement amount in the prediction process will be described with a specific example. For example, when a pressure correspondence value v(k) and a movement amount m(k) are detected by the kth detection process, the control unit 71 reads and acquires from the RAM 73 the pressure correspondence value v(k-2) and the movement amount m(k-2) detected by the k-2th detection process, and the pressure correspondence value v(k-1) and the movement amount m(k-1) detected by the k-1th detection process. The control unit 71 applies the least squares method based on the two coordinate points ((v(k-2), m(k-2)) and (v(k-1), m(k-1)) in FIG. 6(b) to calculate the coordinate point (v(k), e(k)) corresponding to the pressure correspondence value v(k). The calculated value e(k) corresponds to the predicted movement amount calculated by the kth prediction process. The control unit 71 stores the pressure correspondence value v(k) and the calculated predicted movement amount e(k) in association with each other in the RAM 73.

Next, when a pressure response value v(k+1) and a movement amount m(k+1) are detected by the k+1th detection process, the control unit 71 reads out and obtains from the RAM 73 the pressure response value v(k-1) and movement amount m(k-1) detected by the k-1th detection process, the pressure response value v(k) detected by the kth detection process, and the predicted movement amount e(k) calculated by the kth prediction process. The control unit 71 applies the least squares method based on the two coordinate points ((v(k-1), m(k-1)) and (v(k), e(k)) in FIG. 6B to calculate the coordinate point (v(k+1), e(k+1)) corresponding to the pressure correspondence value v(k+1). The calculated value e(k+1) corresponds to the predicted movement amount calculated by the k+1th prediction process. The control unit 71 stores the pressure correspondence value v(k+1) and the calculated predicted movement amount e(k+1) in association with each other in the RAM 73. In other words, the control unit 71 calculates the predicted movement amount based on the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected by the detection process before the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A.

In FIG. 6B, line segment L1 (solid line) is a line segment that connects plots of the movement amount detected by the detection process. Line segment L2 (dotted line) is a line segment that connects plots of the predicted movement amount calculated by the prediction process. As shown by lines L1 and L2, the plot shown by line segment L1 (movement amount detected by the detection process) is smaller than the plot shown by line segment L2 (predicted movement amount calculated by the prediction process). This is because the predicted movement amount is calculated based on the pressure correspondence value and movement amount detected by the detection process before the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A. On the other hand, the movement amount detected by the detection process after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A becomes smaller according to the pressure received from the sheet material 20A in the process of the cutting blade Cs moving downward, and is therefore smaller than the predicted movement amount.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the kth or later detection process is executed, the control unit 71 executes a prediction process to calculate a predicted movement amount (S41). Hereinafter, the detection process that triggers the calculation of the predicted movement amount by the prediction process is referred to as the "target detection process." For example, when the kth prediction process is executed, the kth detection process corresponds to the target detection process, and when the k+1th prediction process is executed, the k+1st detection process corresponds to the target detection process. The pressure correspondence value detected by the target detection process is referred to as the "target pressure correspondence value." The movement amount detected by the target detection process is referred to as the "target movement amount."

The control unit 71 reads out from the RAM 73 the target pressure correspondence value and the target movement amount detected by the target detection process and acquires them. The control unit 71 subtracts the predicted movement amount calculated by the process of S41 from the acquired target movement amount to calculate the difference (S43). The control unit 71 compares the calculated difference with the difference threshold value determined by the process of S25 (see FIG. 8) (S45).

In FIG. 6(b), line segment L3 (dash-dotted line) is a line segment that connects the plots of the difference calculated by the processing of S43 (see FIG. 9). Here, the difference remains in a range smaller than -2 units until the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B (region T14), whereas after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B (region T15), the difference becomes larger than -2 units. In other words, the absolute value of the difference obtained by subtracting the predicted movement amount from the target movement amount is relatively small until the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B, and becomes relatively large after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B.

9, if the absolute value of the difference calculated by the process of S43 is smaller than the difference threshold value (S45: NO), the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has not reached the release paper 20B during the downward movement of the mounting unit 32. In this case, the control unit 71 specifies the position that is separated downward from the opposing position by the acquired target movement amount as the current vertical position of the mounting unit 32. The control unit 71 reads and acquires the reference position detected by the process of S109 (see FIG. 11) from the RAM 73. The control unit 71 determines whether the cutting blade Cs has penetrated the release paper 20B and contacted the platen 3 based on the current position of the mounting unit 32 and the reference position (S47). If the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has not contacted the platen 3 (S47: NO), the process returns to S41. The control unit 71 calculates the predicted movement amount the next time the detection process is performed (S41) and repeats the processes of S43, S45, and S47.

When the absolute value of the difference calculated by the process of S43 is equal to or greater than the difference threshold value (S45: YES), the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has reached the release paper 20B during the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 and has come into contact with the release paper 20B. Note that when the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B, a pressure corresponding to the target pressure corresponding value is being applied to the mounting unit 32 by the pressure application mechanism 31. The control unit 71 controls the second movement mechanism 33 to stop the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 that was started by S15 (see FIG. 8).

The control unit 71 acquires the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 (see FIG. 8) (S51). The control unit 71 compares the thickness of the workpiece 20 acquired by the process of S51 with a predefined thickness threshold (S53). When the control unit 71 determines that the thickness of the workpiece 20 is equal to or greater than the thickness threshold (S53: YES), it determines a predefined first pressure range (see FIG. 6(b)) as the predetermined range of the pressure correspondence value. The first pressure range specifies the range that can be taken as the pressure correspondence value when the cutting blade Cs contacts the release paper 20B when the thickness of the workpiece 20 is equal to or greater than the thickness threshold. The control unit 71 proceeds to the process of S55. On the other hand, when the control unit 71 determines that the thickness of the workpiece 20 is smaller than the thickness threshold (S53: NO), it determines a predefined second pressure range (see FIG. 6(b)) that is narrower than the first pressure range as the predetermined range of the pressure correspondence value. The second pressure range specifies the range that can be taken as the pressure corresponding value when the cutting blade Cs contacts the release paper 20B when the thickness of the workpiece 20 is smaller than the thickness threshold. The control unit 71 proceeds to S59. In other words, the control unit 71 changes the pressure range according to the thickness of the workpiece 20.

When the control unit 71 determines the first pressure range as the pressure range (S53: YES), it determines whether the target pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure when the cutting blade Cs contacts the release paper 20B is included in the first pressure range (S55). When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is included in the first pressure range (S55: YES), it determines the target pressure corresponding value as the cutting pressure corresponding value according to the pressure applied to the mounting unit 32 to cut only the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 without cutting the release paper 20B (S57). The determined cutting pressure corresponding value corresponds to the pressure corresponding value when the absolute value of the difference obtained by subtracting the predicted movement amount from the target movement amount becomes equal to or greater than the difference threshold position. The control unit 71 advances the process to S63.

When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is not included in the first pressure range (S55: NO), the control unit 71 advances the process to S61. When the target pressure corresponding value is smaller than the lower limit of the first pressure range, the control unit 71 determines the lower limit of the first pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). On the other hand, when the target pressure corresponding value is larger than the upper limit of the first pressure range, the control unit 71 determines the upper limit of the first pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). This prevents a value larger or smaller than the expected range (first pressure range) according to the thickness of the workpiece 20 from being determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value. The control unit 71 advances the process to S63.

On the other hand, when the control unit 71 determines the second pressure range as the pressure range (S53: NO), it determines whether the target pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure corresponding value when the cutting blade Cs contacts the release paper 20B is included in the second pressure range (S59). When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is included in the second pressure range (S59: YES), it determines the target pressure corresponding value as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S57). When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is not included in the second pressure range (S59: NO), it advances the process to S61. When the target pressure corresponding value is smaller than the lower limit of the second pressure range, the control unit 71 determines the lower limit value of the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). On the other hand, when the target pressure corresponding value is larger than the upper limit of the second pressure range, the control unit 71 determines the upper limit value of the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). This prevents a value larger or smaller than the expected range (second pressure range) according to the thickness of the workpiece 20 from being determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value. The control unit 71 proceeds to step S63.

When the absolute value of the difference calculated by the process of S43 is smaller than the difference threshold value (S45: NO) and the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the platen 3 (S47: YES), the process proceeds to S81 (see FIG. 10). In this case, the contact between the cutting blade Cs and the release paper 20B that should have been detected was not detected, so there is a possibility that the detection of the contact between the cutting blade Cs and the release paper 20B has failed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 71 stops the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 that was started by the process of S15 (see FIG. 8) (S81). That is, the control unit 71 moves the mounting unit 32 downward to a position where the cutting blade Cs reaches the reference position detected by the process of S109 (see FIG. 11), and then stops the mounting unit 32.

The control unit 71 compares the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 (see FIG. 8) with the thickness threshold (S83). When the control unit 71 determines that the thickness of the workpiece 20 is equal to or greater than the thickness threshold (S83: YES), it determines a first pressure range as a predetermined range of pressure correspondence values (S85). The control unit 71 determines the median value between the upper and lower limits of the first pressure range as the cutting pressure correspondence value (S87). The control unit 71 proceeds to the process of S63 (see FIG. 9).

When the control unit 71 determines that the thickness of the workpiece 20 detected by the process of S23 (see FIG. 8) is smaller than the thickness threshold (S83: NO), it determines a second pressure range as a predetermined range of pressure correspondence values (S89). The control unit 71 determines the median value between the upper and lower limits of the second pressure range as the cutting pressure correspondence value (S91). The control unit 71 proceeds to the process of S63 (see FIG. 9).

The control unit 71 controls the second movement mechanism 33 to move the mounting unit 32 upward until the mounting unit 32 is positioned at the upper limit position in the vertical direction.

The control unit 71 reads out and acquires from the flash memory 74 the cutting data for cutting the pattern specified by the panel operation from the workpiece 20 (S63). The control unit 71 controls the transport mechanism 8A, the first moving mechanism 8B, and the second moving mechanism 33 based on the control conditions indicated by the acquired cutting data. The control unit 71 also controls the second moving mechanism 33 so that the pressure applying mechanism 31 applies a cutting pressure corresponding to the determined cutting pressure corresponding value to the mounting unit 32. As a result, the control unit 71 uses the cutting blade Cs of the cartridge 4 mounted in the mounting unit 32 to cut the sheet material 20A of the specified pattern from the workpiece 20 (S65). The control unit 71 ends the main process.

<Actions and Effects of the Present Embodiment>
According to this embodiment, the cutting device 1 determines the cutting pressure based on the pressure corresponding value and the movement amount of the pressure applied to the mounting part 32 after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B of the workpiece 20. Therefore, the cutting device 1 can apply to the mounting part 32 a cutting pressure suitable for the sheet material 20A and release paper 20B of the workpiece 20, so that only the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 can be appropriately cut by the cutting blade Cs of the cartridge 4 mounted on the mounting part 32.

As in this embodiment, the workpiece 20, which is composed of a sheet material 20A and a release paper 20B covering an adhesive layer formed on one side of the sheet material 20A, may be cut by the cutting blade Cs of the cutting device 1. Here, when a half cut is performed by the cutting device 1, it is desirable to cut only the sheet material 20A and not the release paper 20B. However, the thickness of the sheet material 20A varies depending on the type of workpiece 20. In response to this, it is preferable that the cutting device 1 is controlled so as to cut only the sheet material 20A and not to cut the release paper.

In response to this, the cutting device 1 detects the boundary position between the sheet material 20A and the release paper 20B based on the pressure response value corresponding to the pressure applied to the mounting section 32 and the amount of movement, and determines the cutting pressure for cutting only the sheet material 20A. Therefore, the cutting device 1 can cut only the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20, so it can properly perform a half cut.

The cutting device 1 calculates a predicted movement amount based on the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected by the detection process before the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A (S41). In this case, the cutting device 1 can accurately detect whether the cutting blade Cs has penetrated the sheet material 20A and reached the release paper 20B by determining whether the absolute value of the difference between the predicted movement amount and the target movement amount is equal to or greater than the difference threshold. Therefore, the cutting device 1 can accurately detect the cutting pressure that is capable of cutting only the sheet material 20A.

The plot indicated by line segment L1 in FIG. 6(b) (the amount of movement detected by the detection process) is smaller than the plot indicated by line segment L2 (the predicted amount of movement calculated by the prediction process). Therefore, the cutting device 1 compares the absolute value of the difference calculated by subtracting the predicted amount of movement from the target amount of movement with the difference threshold. In this case, the cutting device 1 determines that the cutting blade Cs has penetrated the sheet material 20A and reached the release paper 20B, which is harder than the object to be cut 20, and can control the cutting pressure so that the cutting blade Cs can cut only the sheet material 20A.

When the cutting device 1 does not detect contact between the cutting blade Cs and the release paper 20B (S47: NO), it moves the mounting part 32 downward to a position where the cutting blade Cs reaches the reference position, and then stops the downward movement of the mounting part 32 (S81). This allows the cutting device 1 to quickly stop the movement of the mounting part 32 after the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3, thereby suppressing deterioration of the cutting blade Cs. In this case, the cutting device 1 determines the median value of either the first pressure range or the second pressure range, which is determined according to the thickness of the workpiece 20, as the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the cutting pressure (S83 to S91). This allows the cutting device 1 to determine the cutting pressure even when the boundary between the sheet material 20A and the release paper 20B in the workpiece 20 cannot be detected.

The cutting device 1 detects the thickness of the workpiece 20 (S23) and determines the difference threshold value according to the detected thickness of the workpiece 20 (S25). This allows the cutting device 1 to determine an appropriate difference threshold value according to the thickness of the workpiece 20, and therefore allows the cutting device 1 to accurately determine a pressure correspondence value corresponding to a cutting pressure at which the cutting blade Cs can cut only the sheet material 20A. Furthermore, the cutting device 1 determines the difference threshold value so that the greater the thickness of the workpiece 20, the greater the value becomes. This allows the cutting device 1 to accurately determine the pressure correspondence value even if the error in the difference between the target movement amount and the predicted movement amount becomes greater as the thickness of the workpiece 20 increases.

When the target pressure corresponding value is included in the first pressure range or the second pressure range (S55: YES, S59: YES), the cutting device 1 determines the target pressure corresponding value as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S57). On the other hand, when the target pressure corresponding value is greater than the upper limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range (S55: NO, S59: NO), the control unit 71 determines the upper limit value of the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). Also, when the target pressure corresponding value is smaller than the lower limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range (S55: NO, S59: NO), the control unit 71 determines the lower limit value of the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). This allows the cutting device 1 to prevent an invalid pressure corresponding value from being determined as the cutting corresponding value. Also, the cutting device 1 determines either the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the pressure range depending on the thickness of the workpiece 20 (S53). This allows the cutting device 1 to determine the cutting pressure corresponding value using an appropriate pressure range according to the thickness of the workpiece 20, so the cutting pressure can be appropriately adjusted so as to cut only the sheet material 20A and not cut the release paper 20B.

<Modification>
A modified version of the main process will be described with reference to Fig. 14. This modified version differs from the main process described above (see Figs. 8 to 11) in that it detects contact of the cutting blade Cs with the release paper 20B based on the amount of displacement of the movement. The same processes as those in Figs. 8 to 11 are given the same reference numerals in Fig. 14 and will not be described.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the control unit 71 determines in the process of S19 that the holder 42 has come into contact with the sheet material 20A, it starts a displacement amount calculation process (S20). In the displacement amount calculation process, based on the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected in the detection process that is periodically executed, the control unit 71 calculates the displacement amount of the movement amount detected in the current detection process relative to the movement amount detected in the previous detection process. The control unit 71 stores the calculated displacement amount in the RAM 73.

After determining that the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A through the process of S21, the control unit 71 advances the process to S145. As in the above embodiment, in the process of S21, it is determined that the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A based on the movement amount m(k) detected through the kth detection process. When the displacement amount calculation process is executed in response to the execution of the kth or later detection process, the control unit 71 determines whether the displacement amount calculated through the current displacement amount calculation process has decreased compared to the displacement amount calculated through the previous displacement amount calculation process (S145).

As shown in FIG. 7, the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount relative to the pressure response value after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B is smaller than the rate of increase (slope) of the movement amount relative to the pressure response value between when the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A and when it comes into contact with the release paper 20B. In other words, after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the sheet material 20A, the amount of displacement after the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B is reduced compared to the amount of displacement before the cutting blade Cs comes into contact with the release paper 20B.

As shown in FIG. 14, if the amount of displacement has not decreased (S145: NO), the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has not reached the release paper 20B as the mounting unit 32 moves downward. In this case, the control unit 71 advances the process to S47. On the other hand, if the amount of displacement has decreased (S145: YES), the control unit 71 determines that the cutting blade Cs has reached and come into contact with the release paper 20B as the mounting unit 32 moves downward. In this case, the control unit 71 advances the process to S51.

When the control unit 71 determines the first pressure range as the pressure range according to the thickness of the sheet material 20A detected by the process of S51 (S53: YES), it determines whether the target pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure corresponding value when the cutting blade Cs contacts the release paper 20B is included in the first pressure range (S55). When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is included in the first pressure range (S55: YES), it determines the target pressure corresponding value as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S157). When the control unit 71 determines the second pressure range as the pressure range according to the thickness of the sheet material 20A (S53: NO), it determines whether the target pressure corresponding value is included in the second pressure range (S59). When the control unit 71 determines that the target pressure corresponding value is included in the second pressure range (S59: YES), it determines the target pressure corresponding value as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S157). The determined cutting pressure corresponding value corresponds to the pressure corresponding value when the displacement amount is reduced.

The control unit 71 reads the cutting data from the flash memory 74 (S63), and controls the transport mechanism 8A, the first moving mechanism 8B, and the second moving mechanism 33. The control unit 71 also controls the second moving mechanism 33 so that the pressure applying mechanism 31 applies a cutting pressure corresponding to the determined cutting pressure corresponding value to the mounting unit 32. As a result, the control unit 71 cuts the workpiece 20 using the cutting blade Cs of the cartridge 4 mounted in the mounting unit 32 (S65). As a result, the cutting device 1 can cut only the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 without cutting the release paper 20B (half cut).

<Other Modifications>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. The cartridge 4 may not have the holder 42, and the cutting blade Cs may always be exposed. The method of detecting that the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A of the workpiece 20 and the method of detecting that the cutting blade Cs has reached the release paper 20B of the workpiece 20 are not limited to the above method. For example, the cutting device 1 may include a contact sensor capable of detecting that the holder 42 or the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A. The cutting device 1 may determine whether the holder 42 or the cutting blade Cs has come into contact with the sheet material 20A based on the detection result by the contact sensor.

The cutting device 1 may be used with a plate-shaped holding member placed on the platen 3. In this case, the object 20 may be cut by the cutting device 1 while being held on the upper surface of the holding member. An object other than the object 20 having the sheet material 20A and the release paper 20B laminated thereon may be used. For example, the sheet material 20A of the object 20 may not be coated with adhesive. The object 20 may be composed of only the sheet material 20A and may not have the release paper 20B. Alternatively, the object 20 may have another layer (e.g., a protective layer) on the surface of the sheet material 20A opposite to the surface to which the release paper 20B is attached.

The cutting device 1 calculates a predicted movement amount e(k) corresponding to the pressure corresponding value v(k) detected after the cutting blade Cs contacts the sheet material 20A based on the pressure corresponding values v(k-2), v(k-1) and the movement amounts m(k-2), m(k-1) detected before the cutting blade Cs contacts the sheet material 20A (S41). In contrast, the cutting device 1 may calculate a predicted movement amount e(k+2) based on the pressure corresponding values v(k), v(k+1) and the movement amounts m(k), m(k+1) detected by the detection process after the cutting blade Cs contacts the sheet material 20A. Alternatively, the cutting device 1 may calculate a predicted movement amount e(k-1) based on the pressure corresponding values v(k-3), v(k-2) and the movement amounts m(k-3), m(k-2) detected by the detection process before the cutting blade Cs contacts the sheet material 20A. In these cases, the amount of movement detected by the detection process may be greater than the predicted amount of movement calculated by the prediction process. The number of samples used to calculate the predicted amount of movement is not limited to two as in the above embodiment, but may be three or more. The method used to calculate the predicted amount of movement e(k) is not limited to the least squares method, and other well-known approximation methods may be applied to calculate the predicted amount of movement.

After determining that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the platen 3 (S47: NO), the cutting device 1 stops the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 (S81). In response to this, the cutting device 1 may stop the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 before the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3 (for example, immediately before the cutting blade Cs contacts the platen 3) (S81). More specifically, the cutting device 1 may stop the downward movement of the mounting unit 32 when the mounting unit 32 has moved downward to a position that is a predetermined distance above the reference position. In addition, the cutting device 1 may not determine the median value of either the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value. For example, the cutting device 1 may determine any value of the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value. Alternatively, the cutting device 1 may display a screen on the LCD 51 to notify the user that contact between the cutting blade Cs and the release paper 20B that should have been detected has not been detected.

The cutting device 1 has determined the difference threshold according to the detected thickness of the workpiece 20 (S25). In contrast, the cutting device 1 may determine the difference threshold according to the thickness of the sheet material 20A. For example, the user may input the thickness of the sheet material 20A to the cutting device 1 by operating a panel. The cutting device 1 may determine the difference threshold according to the input thickness of the sheet material 20A. The cutting device 1 may not change the difference threshold according to the thickness of the workpiece 20 or the sheet material 20A, but may always use a constant difference threshold.

When the target pressure corresponding value is greater than the upper limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range (S55: NO, S59: NO), the control unit 71 may determine a value that is close to the upper limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). When the target pressure corresponding value is smaller than the lower limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range (S55: NO, S59: NO), the control unit 71 may determine a value that is close to the lower limit of the first pressure range or the second pressure range as the cutting pressure corresponding value (S61). The cutting device 1 may always use a constant pressure range regardless of the thickness of the sheet material 20A.

The control unit 71 may first execute the detection process while moving the mounting unit 32 downward until it reaches the reference position, and then repeatedly store the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount in RAM 73 in association with each other. After the mounting unit 32 reaches the reference position, the control unit 71 may execute S19 to S25 (see FIG. 8) and S41 to S61 (see FIG. 9) based on the pressure correspondence value and movement amount stored in RAM 73 to determine the cutting pressure correspondence value. In other words, the control unit 71 may move the mounting unit 32 to the reference position, then calculate the predicted movement amount and difference (S41, S43), and determine the cutting pressure correspondence value based on the difference.

For example, the control unit 71 may detect, as the thickness of the sheet material 20A, the difference between the amount of movement detected by the detection process when it is determined in the process of S51 that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the sheet material 20A (see FIG. 7(c)) and the amount of movement detected by the detection process when it is determined in the process of S45 that the cutting blade Cs has contacted the release paper 20B (see FIG. 7(e)). The control unit 71 may compare the detected thickness of the sheet material 20A with a predetermined thickness threshold (S53) and set the first pressure range or the second pressure range.

In the process of S23, the control unit 71 detects the difference between the base position and the reference position as the thickness of the workpiece 20. In response to this, the control unit 71 may detect the thickness of the workpiece 20 input by the user, for example, through a panel operation, as the thickness of the workpiece 20. Alternatively, the cutting device 1 may store information identifying the type of workpiece 20 and the thickness of each type of workpiece 20 in association with each other in the flash memory 74. The control unit 71 may acquire information identifying the type of workpiece 20 input by the user through the operation panel. The control unit 71 may read out the thickness associated with the acquired type of workpiece 20 from the flash memory 74, and detect it as the thickness of the workpiece 20.

＜Other＞
The platen 3 is an example of a "mounting member" of the present invention. The left side is an example of a "first direction" of the present invention. The right side is an example of a "second direction" of the present invention. The lower side is an example of a "third direction" of the present invention. The upper side is an example of a "fourth direction" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S13 is an example of a "first moving means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S15 is an example of a "second moving means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S17 is an example of a "first detection means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the processes of S19 to S25, S41 to S61, and S81 to S91 is an example of a "first determination means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S63 is an example of an "acquisition means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S17 is an example of a "cutting means" of the present invention. The predicted movement amount is an example of a "predicted value" of the present invention. The control unit 71 that performs the process of S101 is an example of a "third moving means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 performing the processing of S103 is an example of the "fourth moving means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 performing the processing of S107 is an example of the "second detection means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 performing the processing of S23 is an example of the "thickness detection means" of the present invention. The control unit 71 performing the processing of S25 is an example of the "second determination means" of the present invention.

1: cutting device, 3: platen, 4: cartridge, 8B: first moving mechanism, 20: workpiece, 20A: sheet material, 20B: release paper, 31: pressure application mechanism, 32: mounting part, 33: second moving mechanism, 34: Z-axis motor, 71: control part, Cs: cutting blade

Claims (11)

A placement member on which the object to be cut can be placed;
A mounting portion to which a cutting blade can be attached;
a first moving mechanism that relatively moves the object to be cut and the mounting unit placed on the mounting member in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;
a second moving mechanism configured to move the mounting portion in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the third direction moving the mounting portion closer to the mounting member and a fourth direction moving the mounting portion away from the mounting member;
a pressure application mechanism that applies pressure in the third direction to the mounting portion in response to movement of the mounting portion by the second movement mechanism;
a control unit capable of controlling the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism,
The control unit is
a first moving means for moving the mounting portion to a facing position where the cutting blade faces the object to be cut and is separated from the object in the fourth direction by controlling the first moving mechanism;
a second moving means for moving the mounting portion from the opposing position in the third direction by controlling the second moving mechanism;
a first detection means for detecting a pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure in the third direction applied to the mounting portion by the pressure application mechanism and a movement amount of the mounting portion in the third direction during a process in which the mounting portion is moved in the third direction by the second movement means;
a first determination means for determining a cutting pressure corresponding value, which is the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the cutting pressure applied to the mounting part by the pressure application mechanism when the cutting blade cuts the workpiece, based on the pressure corresponding value and the movement amount after the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece, out of the pressure corresponding value and the movement amount detected by the first detection means;
An acquisition means for acquiring cutting data for cutting a pattern from the workpiece;
a cutting means for controlling the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism according to the cutting data acquired by the acquisition means, applying the cutting pressure corresponding to the cutting pressure corresponding value determined by the first determination means to the mounting portion by the pressure applying mechanism, and cutting the object to be cut by the cutting blade attached to the mounting portion ;
The first detection means is
a first pressure corresponding value that is the pressure corresponding value corresponding to a first pressure, and a first movement amount that is the movement amount of the mounting portion when the first pressure is applied;
a second pressure corresponding value that corresponds to a second pressure greater than the first pressure; and a second movement amount that corresponds to the movement amount of the mounting portion when the second pressure is applied; and
a third pressure corresponding value that corresponds to a third pressure that is greater than the second pressure, and a third movement amount that corresponds to the movement amount of the mounting portion when the third pressure is applied
Detects
The first determination means is
A cutting device characterized in that a predicted value of the movement amount of the attachment part when the third pressure is applied is calculated based on the amount of change in the pressure corresponding value from the first pressure corresponding value to the second pressure corresponding value and the amount of change from the first movement amount to the second movement amount, and the cutting pressure corresponding value is determined based on the third pressure corresponding value when the difference between the third movement amount and the predicted value becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined difference threshold . The cutting device according to claim 1 , wherein the predicted value is calculated based on the pressure correspondence value and the movement amount detected by the first detection means before the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece. The first determination means is
The cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cutting pressure corresponding value is determined based on the third pressure corresponding value when the difference becomes equal to or greater than the difference threshold value when the third movement amount is smaller than the predicted value. The control unit is
a third moving means for moving the mounting portion to a position where the cutting blade faces the placement member and does not face the object to be cut by controlling the first moving mechanism;
a fourth moving means for moving the mounting unit in the third direction by controlling the second moving mechanism after the mounting unit is moved by the third moving means;
a second detection means for detecting a position of the mounting portion in the third direction when the cutting blade comes into contact with the mounting member as a reference position;
The second moving means is
4. The cutting device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion is moved in the third direction to a position that is specified based on the reference position detected by the second detection means. The control unit is
a thickness detection means for detecting a thickness of the workpiece;
a second determination means for determining the difference threshold value in accordance with the thickness of the workpiece detected by the thickness detection means;
The first determination means is
A cutting device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cutting pressure corresponding value is determined based on the third pressure corresponding value when the difference between the third movement amount and the predicted value becomes greater than or equal to the difference threshold value determined by the second determination means. The second determination means is
The cutting device according to claim 5 , wherein the difference threshold value is set to a larger value as the thickness of the workpiece increases. The first determination means is
The cutting device according to claim 4, characterized in that when the attachment portion moves to the reference position detected by the second detection means without the difference between the third movement amount and the predicted value becoming equal to or greater than the difference threshold, the cutting pressure corresponding value is determined based on the thickness of the workpiece detected based on the reference position detected by the second detection means. The first determination means is
determining whether the third pressure corresponding value is within a predetermined pressure range;
If the third pressure corresponding value is within the pressure range, the third pressure corresponding value is determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value;
A cutting device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that when the third pressure corresponding value is outside the pressure range, the pressure corresponding value corresponding to any pressure within the pressure range is determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value instead of the third pressure corresponding value. The first determination means is
When the third pressure corresponding value is smaller than the lower limit of the pressure range, the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the lower limit of the pressure range is determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value instead of the third pressure corresponding value;
The cutting device according to claim 8, characterized in that when the third pressure corresponding value is greater than an upper limit of the pressure range, the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the upper limit of the pressure range is determined as the cutting pressure corresponding value instead of the third pressure corresponding value. The control unit is
It functions as a thickness detection means for detecting the thickness of the workpiece,
The first determination means is
setting the pressure range according to the thickness of the workpiece detected by the thickness detection means;
10. The cutting device according to claim 8 , further comprising a step of determining whether the third pressure corresponding value is within a set pressure range. A placement member on which the object to be cut can be placed;
A mounting portion to which a cutting blade can be attached;
a first moving mechanism that relatively moves the object to be cut and the mounting unit placed on the mounting member in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;
a second moving mechanism configured to move the mounting portion in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction, the third direction moving the mounting portion closer to the mounting member and a fourth direction moving the mounting portion away from the mounting member;
a pressure application mechanism that applies pressure in the third direction to the mounting portion in response to movement of the mounting portion by the second movement mechanism;
a control unit capable of controlling the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism;
Equipped with
The control unit is
a first moving means for moving the mounting portion to a facing position where the cutting blade faces the object to be cut and is separated from the object in the fourth direction by controlling the first moving mechanism;
a second moving means for moving the mounting portion from the opposing position in the third direction by controlling the second moving mechanism;
a first detection means for detecting a pressure corresponding value corresponding to the pressure in the third direction applied to the mounting portion by the pressure application mechanism and a movement amount of the mounting portion in the third direction during a process in which the mounting portion is moved in the third direction by the second movement means;
a first determination means for determining a cutting pressure corresponding value, which is the pressure corresponding value corresponding to the cutting pressure applied to the mounting part by the pressure application mechanism when the cutting blade cuts the workpiece, based on the pressure corresponding value and the movement amount after the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece, among the pressure corresponding value and the movement amount detected by the first detection means;
An acquisition means for acquiring cutting data for cutting a pattern from the workpiece;
a cutting means for controlling the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism according to the cutting data acquired by the acquiring means, applying the cutting pressure corresponding to the cutting pressure corresponding value determined by the first determining means to the mounting part by the pressure applying mechanism, and cutting the object to be cut with the cutting blade attached to the mounting part;
It functions as
the second movement mechanism includes a motor that rotates in response to a pulse input, and moves the mounting unit in the third direction or the fourth direction by the rotation of the motor;
The second moving means is
moving the mounting unit in the third direction when a pulse is input to the motor;
The first determination means is
A cutting device characterized in that the cutting pressure corresponding value is determined based on the pressure corresponding value detected when a first displacement amount, which is the displacement amount of the movement of the mounting part when a predetermined number of pulses are input to the motor after the cutting blade comes into contact with the workpiece, decreases.

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